NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2008
37
News and information for serving personnel
Defence Academy links with Institute MILITARY personnel going through the UK Defence Academy can now gain nationally-recognised management qualifications through a new partnership with the Chartered Management Institute. The alliance means that students on the Advanced Command Staff Course (ACSC) achieve recognition for management and leadership skills through qualifications accepted by civilian and military employers. The affiliation will benefit up to 330 ACSC students annually. As part of the alliance, candidates on the ACSC will graduate with an Executive Diploma in Management, recognising their ability to manage performance as well as lead people and address challenges. The partnership also gives many of the individuals the opportunity to secure the Institute’s higher-level Executive Diploma in Strategic Management. As a result of the collaboration, ACSC students will also have access to a wide range of resources designed to help develop their management and leadership skills. Lt Col Dominic Evans, co-ordinator of ACSC, said: “The Joint Staff College strives to provide employees with development opportunities that will have mutual benefit. “So while the management skills on the ACSC improve processes and procedures in the military, they also allow the individual to progress more quickly and confidently in their career path.” The 46-week ACSC at the Joint Services Command and Staff College at Shrivenham is designed for UK and international military officers as well as civil servants.
RN keen for uniform to be seen INCIDENTS of abuse in Peterborough resulted in Service personnel at RAF Wittering being banned from wearing their uniform off-base – but the Royal Navy is still keen to see sailors wearing uniform ashore. Airmen had reported being verbally abused and taunted by civilians in the nearby city, believed to be as a protest at UK involvement in the Middle East. Strong moves have been made, championed by the National Recognition Study, to raise the profile of the Armed Forces by creating greater visibility of Service personnel in uniform. The Naval Secretary, in support of this study, is leading on tri-Service work to define the circumstances in which uniform should be worn, is encouraged to be worn, and may or may not be worn in public. The overall drive remains to strive for greater visibility of RN people in the public eye. The key message from the office of the Naval Secretary is: “Whatever the outcome of the RAF Wittering issue, you are encouraged to continue the drive for higher visibility and to wear uniform in public.” Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the abuse, adding that personnel “should be encouraged to wear their uniform in public, they should be free to do so and the public will want to show their respect and gratitude.”
Champions step up to find the answers A TROUBLESHOOTER and a team of champions have been appointed to break the ‘circle of death’ which has frustrated users of the Armed Forces’ pay and personnel system. JPA – Joint Personnel Administration – had the tough job of replacing dozens of legacy systems, many of them bespoke and some on their last legs, to bring harmonisation and equality to pay, allowances and personnel practices across the three Services. The £250 million system has been deemed an overall success by managers, and is now throwing up fewer problems than its predecessors. There were problems with the first roll-out, with the RAF then the RN, partly because there was a decision to avoid overloading JPA with data from the existing systems. Detailed information is becoming easier to extract, according to Col Jeremy Taylor, Assistant Director Military Services at the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA). “Bringing all the systems together, we have one version of the truth,” said Col Taylor. “There is one single source of data, and we can identify how many people are in an area at a certain time, or how many – and who – are on a ship. “We can track individuals – there is much greater visibility. “There is also one set of training needed across the Services.” One problem which persists with JPA is not the hardware but the information which is being added – there is a greatlyincreased responsibility on individuals to handle their own matters through the ‘self-service’ element. “If the right data does not go in then we cannot crank the handle and get someone’s pay in Euros in Germany, for example,” said Col Taylor. Some personnel have found themselves losing allowances once JPA went live, and this is in part down to the fact that there is less room for interpretation – JPA is “ruthless” in applying the relevant rules, according to Col Taylor. “By and large we have sorted out most of the gremlins in the system,” he said. “Most of the problems are now down to human error or inputting error.” One example was the soldier who, as a result of a minor misdemeanour, was handed down a military fine in excess of £24 million – a clerical error by his unit meant the offender’s eightfigure Service number had been entered into the field where the
fine should have gone. This was picked up by the system, but it demonstrates how important it is to input the correct information. Another, specific to the RN, concerns overpayment to Reservists, and in part appears to be down to multiple inputting of attendance claims in error. But Col Taylor agreed that those who got stuck in the JPA’s version of the dockyard runaround – bounced between their unit administrators and the JPA enquiry centre (JPAC) – were getting a rough deal. Horror stories of people going without pay for months, or having allowances clawed back, hit the headlines. Until now there was nowhere to go beyond the JPAC – with some turning to Forces publications or Internet message boards to vent their frustration. But now Col Taylor said that two more elements had been added to the process, providing a safety net through which no one should now fall. First is the Service Requirement Management Group (SRMG), which will act as a ‘champion of the people.’
If a query or problem is getting bogged down, they will take the matter up on behalf of the individual – which will avoid the scenarios which saw combatants on the front line in Afghanistan using up precious phone-calls to sort out pay queries or placate bank managers. The JPA system also now has an online BAG (Business Administration Guide) which means that many queries about allowances can be sorted with just four clicks of the mouse. Primarily for the use of unit administrators and career managers, the BAG is a single source of up-to-date JPA information and advice. And if all else fails, at the end of the line is a new JPA ‘ombudsman’ who will handle any formal complaints from individuals who are unhappy with the way they have been treated by JPA. The Complaints Cell will not only deal with problems, but will be in a good position to spot trends and allow managers to tweak JPA as necessary, whether by means of training, software adjustments or information. SPVA JPA service complaints are now dealt with by the SPVA
Pay Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (PACCC). If you are experiencing any JPArelated problems you must in the first instance contact your unit HR, who will either resolve the issue or advise you to contact the JPAC Enquiry Centre on freephone 0800 085 3600 (mil 94560 3600). When you have exhausted all the avenues above, and if your issue has not been resolved to your satisfaction, then you may wish to submit a formal complaint in writing to the address below. The following information must be included: Number, rank, name and Service, Your contact details (including telephone number and email address), Your unit HR contact details; Service Request or I-support number(s) and dates raised, A summary of your complaint with full supporting documentation. The mail address is SPVA JPA Complaints, MP 600, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow G2 8EX; by email to SPVA-JPAComplaints (jpa-complaints@ spva.mod.uk); or by fax to 94561 2605 (0141 224 2605).
Moving visit for civic party SMART suits and gold chains are perhaps not the normal rig in the Damage Repair Instructional Unit (DRIU) at HMS Excellent, but then lord mayors are not usually members of damage control parties. The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Cllr Mike Blake, and Lady Mayoress Mrs Susie Sanderson paid an official visit to Whale Island, where they were given a tour of the training establishment, viewed the state gun carriage, and toured the facilities. They were shown new accommodation blocks,
Phoenix Building and the Fire Fighting Training Unit. The civic VIPs saw a practical demonstration on board a moving ship simulator at the DRIU (above). Lt Greg Callis, RN Damage Control Officer, said: “The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress got to witness an element of the Sea Survival course in which damage control was carried out. “This course encourages teamwork, which is important when dealing with incidents such as ships taking damage.”
Painting depicts gallant Glowworm TROPHY number 26066 depicts one of the most stirring actions by a Royal Navy ship in wartime – the ramming of German cruiser Admiral Hipper by destroyer HMS Glowworm on April 8 1940. The encounter was by chance – Glowworm was part of a substantial force, but had turned back to search for a man overboard. On spotting the Hipper, Lt Cdr Gerald Roope, the CO of Glowworm, made an unsuccessful torpedo attack. With his ship severely damaged and little left in the weapons locker, Roope decided to use his ship as a weapon, ramming the German cruiser, as shown in the print (right) which is on the books of the RN Trophy Store.
Admiral Hipper was badly damaged by the Glowworm, putting her out of the war for several months. Despite this her CO, Kapitän zur See Hellmuth Heye, was impressed by the British spirit and spent an hour rescuing more than 30 sailors who had survived the sinking of their destroyer, and ensuring they were well-treated. Heye’s respect for Roope’s gallantry went further – he sent a message via the Red Cross recommending Roope for a decoration, and the British officer was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross – the first occasion the highest British military honour was awarded on the evidence and recommendation of the enemy.
HMS Glowworm rams the Admiral Hipper
News and information for serving personnel
Have your shout on personnel matters ARE you up to date with the latest personnel policy initiatives? Have you heard about Project Fisher, the Key Worker Living Programme (KWLP), Post Operational Stress Management (POSM), the introduction of Recovery Cells, RN Fitness Test Reminder Cards, the replacement of the Naval Discipline Act by the Armed Forces Act 2006? If not then you have probably not attended one of the Divisional Regimental Support Team (DRST) presentations or seen any of the Personnel Support Briefs (PSB) that are produced on a termly basis and distributed inside the cover of the 2-6 DVD. You can also access a soft copy through the RNWeb intranet and via RNCom and Naval Families Federation websites on the Internet. The DRST work from Fleet HQ and have been busy since their formation in December 2005 visiting approximately 200 units and establishments where RN and RM personnel are serving to bring them up to date with the latest information on personnel initiatives and more importantly receive feedback on your views on personnel matters. Visits start with a half-hour Personnel Update presentation, followed by discussions in peer groups (officers, SRs, JRs) facilitated by a team member where you have an opportunity to express your opinions on what you like or dislike in the personnel field. The discussion periods also provide an opportunity for the team to explain some of the detail and rationale of the initiatives being implemented. Your feedback forms part of the evidence that is used to influence current and future personnel policy and to inform senior officers (the Navy Board, 2SL, CINCFleet, Heads of Fighting Arms) of the current perception of Naval Service personnel. As an example of the effectiveness of such feedback, concerns regarding JPA in its early days were fed back and recognised at the highest level which resulted in the formation of the JPA Support Team to troubleshoot, providing extra training and guidance to administration staff and personnel managers as well as giving support to individuals by dealing directly with the JPAC Enquiry Centre (see main story, left). In addition to going on the road, the Command WOs often accompany their respective head of fighting arm or other members of the Navy Board on visits to units and establishments, so look out for them – they are influential people and are always delighted to talk. If you have any queries regarding personnel or executive issues and are not sure who to talk to then contact a member of the team – contact details are in all editions of the PSB – who will at least be able to put you in contact with the relevant person if they cannot answer the question themselves. The DRST is also more than happy to present to family groups and hear their feedback – contact the team on 02392 625933 to arrange a visit.